Ashes rivalry renewed as England, Australia face off in T20 WC final

Australia's brute batting force and consistent bowling would be put through a stern test against a spirited England when the two Ashes rivals clash in the finals of the Twenty20 cricket World Cup in Bridgetown on Sunday.

Australia go into the match with sky-high confidence after chasing down a seemingly improbable 191 against Pakistan in the semifinals Friday night.

But it would hardly be a stroll in the park for Michael Clarke's men as England have played some outstanding cricket in the championship and just like Australia, they have been unbeaten since the Super Eights stage.

England, who were hardly seen as title contenders before the start of the tournament, have been a revelation with an array of attacking batsmen and bowling all-rounders.

They bat deep and have bowled with purpose and discipline right through the competition. Their fielding has been good as well.

But Paul Collingwood's men cannot match the Australians in talent and versality despite having the tenacity and confidence to take on their arch-rivals.

However, the fast and bouncy Kensington Oval wicket will pose a challenge to the English batsman, who haven't faced the kind of pace which Dirk Nannes and Shaun Tait generate, in this competition yet.

The tearaway Australian quicks have consistently bowled at over 145 kph and have extracted disconcerting bounce from the bone-hard surface.

But this being their first major championship final in six years, England would be as keen as Australia to take the title back home. But to achieve that, they would have to play their best cricket yet.

"The boys have been responding well every time. The batsmen on top of the order have been giving great starts. Sometimes we need to finish the pieces of jigsaw," said Collingwood.

"We have very good players. We have selected players on potential and they have done fantastically well. We are confident they can deliver," he added.

Clarke, meanwhile, also has his eyes firmly set on the elusive Cup.

"We have worked hard over the last 12 months to win the one cup that we haven't. The boys are keen that we achieve what we had set out for. So we will come and play our best cricket," said Clarke.